Hurray! Stocks Are on Sale!

With the wild ride stocks have taken recently, investors may be looking for a safe haven.

Let's face it, stocks have been on a wild ride recently, causing many to question whether investing is a good idea. For some, the allure of gold investing has become that much shinier, and for others, their mattress is singing a soothing song of safety. However, for the bold, now is the time to buy, and there is one company out there just begging to be noticed.

Intel does it betterWhen you think of computers, what comes to mind? Macs? PCs? Perhaps what should come to mind is the kind of processor the computer runs on. Whether your favorite computer is a Dell, Sony, Gateway, Mac, or any other popular brand, the processing system behind each of these is likely an Intel(Nasdaq: INTC) Core processor. And with each of these brands relying on Intel to supply them with processors, Intel has become a behemoth in the technology world.

For example, over the past few years, Intel's net income grew from $5 billion in 2008 to over $11 billion in 2010. Additionally, free cash flow grew from $5.3 billion in 2008 to $11.5 billion in 2010, and operating margin grew from 24% in 2008 to 36% in 2010. That's great news for investors who are greeted day in and day out with stories about the declining relevance of the PC. In the face of all this, Intel has been able to maintain its pricing power.

Intel on saleAlthough Intel took a slight tumble with the rest of the stock world, it is by no means a sign that Intel is headed for disaster. If anything, Intel's recent tumble is signaling that Intel is currently on sale, and now is the time to get in.

Currently, Intel is trading right around $20 per share, or a little more than 9 times earnings. That is a great price for the technology giant, and well below its historical earnings multiple. If that's not enough to interest you, maybe its dividend yield of 4.2% will. Compared to competitors Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) dividend yield of 2.5%, Advanced Micro Devices' (NYSE: AMD) dividend yield of zilch, and TexasInstruments' (NYSE: TXN) dividend yield of 2%, 4.1% is definitely an attractive number. Plus with a payout ratio of 31%, Intel's dividend yield looks sustainable.

Don't give up on the market just yetYes, stocks have definitely shown their volatility over the last few weeks, and it's probably not the last time we'll see this happen. Still, for Foolish investors, situations like these can be seen as great companies going on sale. In the case of Intel, that is exactly what's happening.

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Author

Katie Spence has been a financial journalist for The Fool since 2011. She specializes in defense companies, “green" technology, autos, and robots. Follow me on Twitter for breaking news in the defense, auto, and robot industry. Follow @tmfkspence